Cooking with Erica

Cheddar and Dill Beer Bread

Beer bread is great because it’s quick and versatile. You don’t need to wait for it to rise because of the beer’s yeast. You can also throw whatever cheese and/or herb combination that suits your fancy into it. Fresh herbs give a great pop.

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Stuffed Fried Bread Dough

Stuffed Fried Bread Dough is delicious. It’s really up to you what you stuff it with. I’ve done it with mozzarella, a little basil, tomatoes, and spinach. Jason added some pepperoni to his own. I’m sure you could make some sweet ones too.

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I really want to find a good dinner roll. This one looks beautiful. However, I found it to be way too salty. If I made it again, I’d cut the salt and perhaps look into a higher quality Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls

Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls
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I love naan, but I never thought I’d be able to make it at home. Naan is traditionally made in a clay oven called a tandor, which would never fit in my condo’s kitchen. Plus, it would be a rather expensive investment.

Then I saw this recipe by Chef Henry. Instead of a tandor oven, it uses a pizza stone, and a pizza stone fits much better with both my kitchen and my wallet. Plus, this recipe is really tasty too.

Naan fresh off the pizza stone

Homemade Naan
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I went a little nuts making pies. I blame two things: 1) my love of it and 2) Twin Peaks. Jason and I had a little bit of a marathon, which included a lot of baking.

Twin Peaks and David Lynch loves pie

For the pie crust, I used my grandma’s flour crust recipe. Which is great as it makes 4 to 5 pie crusts and is easy to refrigerate or freeze if you need to use the rest another day. And if you have some extra, as I did, you can make flaky cookies.
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This was a failed experience of sorts. I’ve tried in the past to make Pad Thai, and there was just something missing. So when my friend B tried the following recipe with a good review, I figured that I try it myself. Part of the problem, for me, was the fish oil. I figured that maybe fish oil was as essential to Pad Thai as beef broth is to French Onion Soup. Instead, I just made myself sick from smelling fish oil and remembering every reason why I don’t eat fish and protest fellow “vegetarians” who do.

Jason, being the omnivore in the house, did like this recipe. Which is good as he had to finish cooking it and eat it.

Tofu Pad Thai
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I don’t think I’ve ever met a brownie that I didn’t like. And what I like even better is chocolate and peanut butter together. These were delicious. Original recipe is from For the Love of Cooking.

Cocoa Brownies with Peanut Butter Chips
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When we go grocery shopping, Jason always tries to buy cookies. Usually, I tell him no and he puts them back. Of course, then I bake him cookies as it’s cheaper, they taste better, and they tend to have less sugar so I can enjoy them too.

In our Halloween card, my maternal grandma included $5, saying to use the money to buy Jason cookies. Apparently, she was very offended on Jason’s behalf that I didn’t indulge his cookie-buying whim.

Grandma, here are some cookies I made for Jason. He is not deprived of delicious cookies.

The original recipe is from Melissa.

Sunshine Cookies
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I love pie and pumpkin pie is by far my favorite pie. One of my favorite things about the holiday season is pumpkin pie. (Even though all ingredients are available all year around, no one has heard my protest to make pumpkin pie a yearly pie.) Delicious pumpkin pie.

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